Wendy Lee of Rancho Palos Verdes wrote, “Thanks so much for the great article about the Assistance League. I am a member and I am very impressed (in this day and age of excess) that our organization spent only 4.2 percent of its budget on administration. A whopping 95.8 percent of donations are spent on the community! Donations are so important to us and this is a very impressive number, don’t you agree?”

I agree so much that I’m going to reprint the contact information for an organization that supplies a variety of governmental-sized services to the South Bay, including school supplies and clothing and free dental care.

Visit its Web site at sanpedrosouthbay.assistanceleague.org or call 310-832-8355. The group is always in need of new volunteers and can use donations, which can be sent to 1441 W. Eighth St., San Pedro, CA 90732.

Grace Nichols of San Pedro wrote, “The last two columns you wrote were just great. I especially like the one about the Assistance League, as I am a member. I volunteer dressing the children in their school uniforms, which we give to them. The kids are so thankful, they will grow up to be decent children because they have been shown how to be treated kindly. I also liked the story about the wallet being returned to that wonderful couple. I grew up down the street from Alondra Park and I never knew who owned that property until you wrote about it.”

Judy Fuellborn sent this: “Your column about the Assistance League was outstanding. So pleased that you covered the post office (located at the above address) and our many philanthropic programs. It always amazes me that we have been in San Pedro since 1936 and the community doesn’t know we exist or they know that we have the post office and that is about the extent of their knowledge. Our members work very hard and we are proud of our accomplishments.”

Barry Hildebrand of Rancho Palos Verdes wrote, “As the husband of one of the ladies that help run the league, I want to thank you for your excellent article. … All the ladies in management positions do an excellent job of steering the organization as it provides its services to the kids in the South Bay. Government agencies could learn a thing or two from them.

“But then, government agencies operate with taxpayer dollars, so the needed impetus for conservation and care is just not there. The league’s income from donations has dropped off as you noted. However, people are always using stamps … so it would be nice if they used the AL post office. Their mailings just might help clothe a needy child.”

And this from John in Hawthorne: “Why do you exist?”

Good question, John. Only I don’t know the answer.

Jim Dexter wrote, “Thank you so much for the article about the lost wallet’s return. I know, as you said, that it wasn’t much. But it is small acts of human kindness like that that can give us all faith while providing an example that we should all follow. Two working men, they might have kept it and sold the contents but they didn’t. Mr. Mitchell was correct when he said that they were straight shooters. As we all should be.”

And something from the Web site: “This is such a fluff story, only to incite some sort of compassion for what, Latinos? For the 100th time, it is illegals that are the problem, it’s not a matter if they speak `broken English.’ It is that they have broken U.S. laws. So they took the wallet back, give them a medal.”

Michele Louros commented on another column: “I really enjoyed your article about your trip home with your daughter. It reminded me of my dad. That was truly well written and a story that put a smile on my face, especially during these trying economic times.”

And this wonderfully clever note from “Bev” on the Web site: “Yep, Bogert is a person we all wish we knew. And because of him, we do.”

Tom from Torrance added this: “I wish that you would stop writing about heart-warming, fuzzy-issue things and get down to writing about the economy and about this crook we now have in the White House.”

Terry Kennedy of Gardena wrote, “Your article on Barbie was right on. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Girls have always had dolls to play with. But to actually want to `be’ a Barbie goes a little far. Girls, like boys, should enjoy their youth, then leave their toys behind until they in turn have children.”

And this from another reader who happens to be my sister: “How dare you tell everyone that I didn’t pass my very valuable Barbie doll collection along to the girls? Thanks for making me look like a dork … you dork!”

Arthur Cullen had this to say about the same column: “You had boyhood friends that looked under Barbie’s clothes? What part of `pervert’ didn’t you all understand?”

Obviously the part about not looking under Barbie’s clothes … at absolutely nothing.

Jim Mentzer sent this: “With regard to your column about regional variations in expressions, you don’t have to be from Arkansas to know what `Adam’s off ox’ means. All you need is to have grown up, as my father did, on a farm in the days when they used draft animals instead of tractors. To be specific, the `off’ animal of a team is the one on the right.

“The left one is the `near’ one. The names go back to a time when, instead of riding on a bench on the front of the wagon, the driver rode on one of the animals, the `near’ one because he mounted from the left side. In a four- or six-horse (or mule) hitch, the pair in front were the lead pair, the pair nearest the wagon were the wheel pair, and the middle pair (if any) were the swing pair. Since Adam is supposed to have been the first farmer … it was naturally supposed that he used oxen to pull his plow.”

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.